When the ancient Polynesians invented surfing, they often used a paddle to help them navigate. Fast-forward a few millennia, and Stand-Up Paddleboarding, or SUP, finds itself trendy again. Part of its increasing popularity is that standing upright allows surfers to spot waves more easily and thus catch more of them, multiplying the fun factor. Paddling back to the wave becomes less of a strain as well. The ability to cruise along on flat inland water, surveying the sights, is another advantage. Finally, its a good core workout. If youre sold on the idea, schedule an intro SUP lesson, free with board and paddle rental, and you may find yourself riding the waves like a Polynesian king.More

Many of us remember coming home from our elementary schools with freshly glazed pinchpots, cups, or whatever else our young imaginations could conjure up. Saturday mornings at the Randall Museum can bring that memory back, or create a new one for the youngsters. Ceramics make great gifts — especially on Mothers' and Fathers' Day. Hop on board for the Randall's once-weekly class, and for $6 and two weeks to have your work fired and glazed, you'll have all the materials you need.More

Monday, February 27, 2012

Call it an industry, call it a movement, call it a gigantic scam. Law enforcement and politicians can't agree what to call California's medical marijuana scene, except to say it exists in a legal gray area.

And how. A dispensary operator in Vallejo was arrested last week -- twice -- because the police chief and a majority of the City Council believe state medical marijuana law doesn't allow dispensaries to conduct "sales," and because there's no local ordinance allowing dispensaries, they're illegal.

If passed, Ammiano's bill, A.B. 2312, would allow "collectives, cooperatives, and other business entities to cultivate, acquire, process, possess, transport, test, sell, and distribute marijuana for medical purposes." This is a departure from current law, which says the above are not subject to penalties.

The bill also makes it a misdemeanor for a doctor to give a bad recommendation, and would limit dispensaries to one per a city of 50,000 residents. And -- and most importantly -- it creates a medical marijuana bureaucracy.

The governor, the assembly speaker, and the Senate Committee on Rules would appoint nine people to the Board of Medical Marijuana Enforcement, a new body within the Department of Consumer Affairs. This body would be in charge of the Medical Marijuana Fund, which would be funded with state fees and fines.

Ammiano's bill is similar to a proposed ballot initiative: The Medical Marijuana Regulation Control and Taxation Act, the brainchild of medical marijuana patient advocacy group Americans for Safe Access and labor union United Food and Commercial Workers. A major difference is that the MMRCTA includes a state tax, which requires a two-thirds majority, according to a release from Ammiano's office.

Nobody from team Ammiano was available for comment Sunday, but even if it doesn't pass, the bill will "raise awareness" in the legislature that the industry needs some kind of fix, UFCW organizer Dan Rush said via e-mail.

Even if the bill is passed, however, it's highly unlikely it will become law: A bill passed last year allowing California farmers in select counties to grow hemp was returned without Gov. Jerry Brown's signature, and it's generally taken as a given that Brown will not sign any medical marijuana-related bills.

So who's going to convince local law enforcement that sales are allowed -- and what about profit?

"It was a deal-breaker," he said in a recent telephone interview. The bill does include language saying "nothing in this section shall allow," a profit, but that does not mean a profit isn't prohibited either, he said.

About The Author

Bio:
Chris Roberts has spent most of his adult life working in San Francisco news media, which is to say he's still a teenager in Middle American years. He has covered marijuana, drug policy, and politics for SF Weekly since 2009.

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